Journal of Health Reports and Technology
Volume:6 Issue: 2, Jul 2020

Context:

 Hospitals are the most important section in relation to health economy, accounting for 50-80% of the health budget in developing countries.

 The present study aimed to estimate the production functions of the hospitals in Iran.
Data Sources: This systematic review was conducted via searching in the international databases of Scopus, ISI, PubMed and Persian databases of IDML, SID, MagIran for access to data in 2019 with no time limits using keywords such as hospitals, hospital performance, hospital performance assessment, production function estimation, and Iran. The required data on the authors, year of publication, language of publication, and number of hospitals were extracted from the articles using a checklist. The extracted data were categorized and interpreted in the Excel software.

 The initial search yielded 334 articles, which were extracted and reviewed based on their title, abstract, and elimination of the duplicates. In total, 12 articles were obtained for the final analysis. The mean elasticity of the inputs for physicians, nurses, active beds, and other staff was 0.22, 0.55, 0.64, and 0.36, respectively. In addition, the marginal production of the factors for physicians, nurses, active beds, and other staff was 53.22, 32.56, 41.10, and 38.56, respectively. The marginal production of all the inputs was positive.

 Considering the positive marginal production of all the inputs, it is suggested that the utilization of the inputs increase due to their elasticity in order to improve efficiency, which is a priority for using active hospital bed. It is also advisable to assess various sections of each hospital rather than on a hospital level and evaluate productivity and efficiency.

Context:

 The implementation of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) promotes access to quality health care delivery through cost-effective initiatives to ensure good health and wellbeing without discrimination. This study examines government finance, budgetary allocation, and expenditure as key health development indicators towards achieving the UHC in Nigeria.

Evidence Acquisition: 

Data analyzed in the study were gotten from journal articles, reports and other secondary sources. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, and WHO Library Database with pre-determined search terms. Further publications were identified through snowballing of citations and references. We reviewed only papers written in English with no date restrictions placed on searches.

 Within the period of analysis, the annual national health budgetary allocation in Nigeria has been below the 2001 Abuja declaration of allocating 15% of the national budget to health. Our analysis also revealed that if the Abuja declaration was implemented, additional allocations of NGN 4.99 trillion should have been injected into the health sector between 2014 and 2020. In addition, Nigeria also lags behind relative to some other low-and middle-income countries in terms of government expenditure to the health sector in achieving the UHC.

 The inadequate budgetary allocation in Nigeria to healthcare has significantly influenced recurrent and capital health expenditure. It is worthy to note that the insufficient allocation will continue to significantly affect capital expenditure which is a large determinant of the development of any health system. With the current state of healthcare budget allocation in Nigeria, efforts need to be intensified to ensure the achievement of UHC. In the face of achieving UHC, reviewing the system of healthcare financing and ensuring prudent allocation of resources while shifting the focus from out-of-pocket payments for health is essential. We also recommend increase in political commitment towards improving the health of the populace so as to ensure health systems goals of efficiency, equity, quality of care, sustainability, financial risk protection for all citizens are achievable.

 The positive parenting program has been developed based on social learning principles and is recognized as a potent intervention to help the children with behavioral problems.

 The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the triple P (positive parenting program) for mothers on the reduction of the behavioral disorders of their children.

 This quasi-experimental was conducted with a pretest-posttest and a control group. In total, 78 mothers employed in the hospitals affiliated to Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Iran who had children aged 2 - 12 years were selected, and their children were randomly assigned to the experimental (n = 39) and control groups (n = 39). The triple P intervention was implemented in the experimental group for eight sessions. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and the analysis of covariance.

 The mean age of the mothers was 33.52 ± 3.9 years. The triple P intervention could effectively reduce the behavioral disorders of the children, while it had no effects on the parenting styles, and depression, anxiety, and stress of the mothers.

 According to the results, the positive parenting program could be used as a preventive and therapeutic method for the reduction of behavioral issues in children, as well as parental anxiety and depression in relation to children.

The present study aimed to propose and elaborate on a new model for business environmental dynamism in pharmacies. The concept of business environmental dynamism was considered to determine the influential factors and operational strategies for the improvement of the performance of small enterprises (i.e., pharmacies) in environmental dynamism. The study was conducted using a qualitative and quantitative method; content analysis was used in the qualitative section, and confirmatory factor analysis was employed in the quantitative section. The sample population of the qualitative section included valid scientific databases during 2000-2020 regarding environmental turbulence and environmental dynamism. In the quantitative section, a survey was performed on 80 owners of the pharmacies located in Kermanshah city, Iran. In the qualitative section regarding the environmental dynamism dimension of environmental turbulence, the two components of market turbulence and technological turbulence were identified and validated, as well as six sub-components. As a result, the conceptual model was extracted, and the high validity and reliability of the researcher-made questionnaire of environmental dynamism were confirmed. According to the results of confirmatory factor analysis, the instrument has a good fit. In addition, the insignificance of the paths resulted in determining the appropriateness of the structural research model.

 Mental distress is a group of mental problems manifested by symptoms of insomnia, fatigue, irritability, forgetfulness, difficulty in concentrating, and somatic complaints. University students have more severe mental health problems than the general population.

 Therefore, this study attempted to assess the magnitude of mental distress and its determinants among medical and health science regular undergraduate students at Jimma University.

 A descriptive institutional-based with cross-sectional study design was conducted at Jimma University from March to April 2017 on regular undergraduate medical and health science students of the Faculty of Health Science. Study participants were selected from each batch using simple random sampling techniques and from the department by lottery method. Mental distress was assessed by using Self-Reporting questionnaire-20. Participants with score of eight and above on the Self-Reporting questionnaire-20 were considered as having mental distress. Chi-square and descriptive statistics were done using SPSS-20.

 From a total of 369 study participants, about 354 gave the response rate of (95.9%). The magnitude of mental distress among medical and health science students was 35.03 %. Most of the respondents were males by sex and the mean age of the respondents was 23 years with SD ± 6. Age, sex, year of study, the practice of religion, presence of family history of mental illness, department choice, and ever use of substance (chat chewing and alcohol) were predictor variables and significantly associated with mental distress at P < 0.05.

 The magnitude of mental distress in our study was 35.03% and it needs intervention and addressing the mentioned factors significantly associated with mental distress.

 Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is prevalent in 5% - 8% of women of reproductive age and is one of the most important causes of infertility.

 The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of home-made aerobic activity on the level of changes in adipsin levels and visceral adiposity (VAI) in woman patients with chronic polycystic ovary syndrome in Kermanshah city.

 This study was carried out among 24 women with PCOS in 2017. The samples were 12 people in the intervention group and 12 people in the control group (referred to Kermanshah health centers). The intervention group then performed home-based aerobic training for 16 weeks. Serum levels of adiposity and visceral adiposity were measured before and after the exercise program through blood sampling. SPSS V.22 software was used for data analysis and t-test with independent sample and paired t-test.

 There was a significant difference in the visceral adiposity index (VAI) after 16 weeks of aerobic exercise in the intervention group (P = 0.014). However, adipsin level changes were not statistically significant in the control and control groups. (P = 0.097).

 Aerobic exercise under house supervision has a favorable effect on the visceral adiposity index in women with PCOS and can be recommended as a safe treatment for these patients.

 Cost analysis is an effective approach for planners and health system managers to address the issues regarding the increased shortage of resources. Activity-based costing (ABC) is a new system with various applications in daily service activities, the use of which is expanding for the estimation of real costs.

 The present study aimed to calculate the total costs of CT-scan services in Shahid Rajaei Hospital of Qazvin, Iran using the ABC model and compared the results with the tariffs approved in 2016.

 This descriptive, applied research was conducted retrospectively. The total costs of CT-scan services were calculated using the ABC model and compared with the tariffs approved in 2016. Data were collected using checklists based on the hospital information system, observations, and interviews. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 23 and Microsoft Excel software using the non-parametric Wilcoxon test.

 The total costs of the CT-scan unit in the given year (2016 - 2017) was estimated at 398,380.07 dollars, with the largest share of the total costs in the human resources (57.9%), consumed materials (23.4%), and overhead (18.7%), respectively. No significant difference was observed between the total costs based on the ABC system and tariffs of these services.

 According to the results, the lack of a difference between the total costs and government tariffs suggested that earnings should be higher than the costs of these services, and these units could become profitable through proper cost control measures.

 Definitive tests are not routinely available in Ghanaian district hospitals for diagnosing febrile illnesses among children under five years after excluding malaria with the rapid diagnostic test (RDT). Most of such febrile presentations are likely microbial. If an infection-induced WBC elevation is demonstrated consistently enough in such malaria-RDT negative febrile illnesses, it could become a diagnostic aid.

 Retrospective data from the clinical records were obtained for 432 children from 6 months to 5 years of age, who had presented with fever (temperature ≥ 37.5°C). Their respective WBC counts were also documented and statistical analysis of the data carried out.

 A significant relationship was demonstrated between the malaria-RDT negative status and the patient’s elevated WBC count (P < 0.001). Leukocytosis was absent in 58.6% of RDT-negative febrile children. Patients who tested RDT-negative were twice as likely to have elevated WBC counts (OR = 2.19) than RDT-positive patients.

 An elevated WBC count has demonstrated a potentially weak relationship with a negative malaria-RDT status among febrile children U-5 in DPH. Standing alone, however, the WBC may not be decisive for the evaluation of U-5 febrile presentations after excluding malaria.

Today, the use of bottled water has increased significantly for various reasons, such as the low quality of tap water, presence of hazardous chemicals in piped water, ease of transport, and accessibility. Therefore, considering the quality features of bottled water is of utmost importance. The present study was conducted in the two stages of questionnaire and laboratory with the aim of determining the correlation between the quality of hardness when bottled water is purchased and evaluate the calcium and magnesium contents in the laboratory. The applied questionnaire was designed based on water hardness in four sections of knowledge and attitude, and its validity and reliability were confirmed. The calcium and magnesium contents were determined using standard methods and the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry apparatus. The obtained results indicated that the most important indicators of purchasing bottled water were softness availability, brand, and coldness. Contrary to consumer claims, the most commonly used bottled water (60% of the brands) were observed to be those with high hardness. Therefore, it could be concluded that factors such as availability, marketing, and percentage of the consumption market are the most important influential factors in the consumption rate of bottled water.

In this research it is aimed to investigate the relationship between the self-efficacy and self-care levels in adolescents which are aged between 11 - 15 years old. For this purpose, the socio-demographic characteristics of the students are utilized including, age, grade, gender, longest residence, family type, current residence location, family structure, academic success status, income-outcome balance, chronic diseases, education level of mother, education level of father, mother profession, father profession of students. Accordingly, the most known scales namely general self-efficacy scale and self-care agency scale were considered to investigate related characteristics of adolescents from Mersin Province of Turkey. It is implied from results that there is a significant relationship between the self-efficacy scale scores with the academic success status, family type and family structure characteristics of these adolescents. As well, there existed a significant relationship between the mean scores of the self-care scale with the age, grade, education level of their mothers, economic status of their families, academic success status and their family types. Based on the results, especially in the case of the single-parent type family structures, conducting a democratic family discipline and academic success status of students lead to increase in the self-efficacy belief of adolescents. In the similar way, the education level of mothers, economic status of the families, achieved high academic success and holding a democratic family discipline resulted in the high self-care agency level of the adolescents. Additionally, as the self-efficacy level of the adolescents increased, the self-care agency level of the adolescents may be increased additionally.

 The post-traumatic stress disruption checklist (PCL) is a reliable self-assessment measure for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recently, the PCL has been updated based on the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD

 The present study aimed to determine the psychometric properties and diagnostic capability of the PCL as a screening tool in an earthquake-stricken population in Kermanshah, Iran.

 This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 injured earthquake victims in Sales and Javanrud counties. The subjects were selected via purposive sampling. The PCL was translated into Kurdish (Surani), and trained interviewers run the translated version for 200 individuals manifesting the symptoms of post-earthquake stress in the earthquake-stricken cities of Javanrud and Sales located in Kermanshah province. After two weeks, 100 participants were randomly selected, and the questionnaire was completed again.

 The internal consistency of the PCL (α = 85%) was indicative of the validity of the checklist. The Youden’s index with the cutoff point of 23 was considered optimal for the PCL tool. The diagnostic values of sensitivity and specificity were estimated at 0.82 and 0.81, respectively (P < 0.001). In addition, the test-retest results were equal after two weeks (α = 87%), indicating the high reliability of the checklist.

 According to the results, the PCL is a sensitive and accurate tool for assessing the status of PTSD in disaster victims and accidents and could be used in the screening of PTSD in the health monitoring programs for these victims.

 Medical and healthcare tourism is an important area influencing destination development. Considering the geographical location of Kermanshah City, Iran and presence of the associated experts, the medical and healthcare tourism and entrepreneurship development are among the key resources for the sustainable development of Kermanshah.

 The present study aimed to investigate the barriers against the entrepreneurship development of medical and healthcare tourism in Kermanshah.

 This explorative study was conducted with a mined design using the mixed-methods approach, involving both qualitative and quantitative methods. The sample population consisted of experts, tourists, skilled individuals in the areas of health, medicine, and tourism.

 The main barriers against entrepreneurship development in medical and healthcare tourism in Kermanshah included infrastructural barriers, marketing and promotion barriers, human resource barriers, management barriers, governmental barriers, barriers related to rules and regulations, cultural barriers against tourism development, and issues in the cooperation of private and governmental sectors.

 According to the results, the severity of the impact of the barriers against entrepreneurship and tourism development was classified into three levels, and the implications were also discussed.

Dear Editor,In the 21st century, the world has seen a fair share of widespread infectious disease outbreaks that thrusts healthcare workers at the frontline, putting their expertise to work in containing them. The position of the pharmacists had been utilized in such crises with their role shifting from a product-centered to patient-centered care (1). Pharmacists are an essential part of healthcare team that performs exceptional roles in the containment of the earlier pandemics and global health crisis including Ebola and Zika (2). During the H1N1 influenza pandemic, community pharmacies were recognized by patients as convenient locations to receive pandemic influenza vaccinations (3) and in course of the 2010 to 2011 influenza season, 18.4 percent of adult influenza vaccines were administered in community pharmacies (4), this further reinforces the much-needed role pharmacists can play in responding to health emergencies. It has been reported that 93 percent of pharmacists would be willing to report to work in course of a future disease outbreak (5) such as COVID-19. Engagement of pharmacists in pandemics is vital due to their specialized knowledge in ensuring and supporting effective responses to diseases outbreak. For most community pharmacies in Africa, the major impact arises from the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown policy has been predicted to result into shortages of essential drugs, and inability of the pharmacy staff to work optimally. Community pharmacies in Africa are suffering setbacks in ensuring uninterrupted supply chain of medicines. Transporting machinery are subjectively stopped by law enforcement agencies and refused entry in order to curtail community transmission. This may result into drug scarcity and shortages. All these come with a considerable cost to community pharmacies leading to hike in prices of available medications with a potential impact on availability, accessibility and affordability of medicines. Before the emergence of COVID-19, community pharmacies are usually the first point of contact by public and patients for healthcare needs. Obviously, there is a potential for community pharmacists to be exposed to COVID-19 because they come in contact with patients who may have been exposed to the virus or infected (6). This will have a significant impact on the quality of healthcare delivery as there are tendencies that community pharmacists would exhibit reluctancy in the discharge of duties due to the fear of contracting the virus. While safety measures such as physical distancing and proper hand washing are being practiced, limited access to personal protective equipment (PPE) might contribute to their risk of contracting the virus. Since infections can be developed by pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, it is of utmost importance that pharmacists and community pharmacy workers protect themselves against disease exposure by keeping patients and members of the public at a safe distance (of at least 1 meter) and regularly disinfecting surfaces within the pharmacy premises (6). Through public precautionary measures advocated by the World Health Organization, governments and national health authorities, efforts are currently made around the world to “flatten the curve” and Africa is no exception (7). With the situation of the global lockdown, community pharmacies seem to have greater responsibility as the first point of contact to meet public health needs. Globally, amidst the strict lockdown policies, community pharmacies remain one of the few places that remain open to serve the populace (8). In Africa, as it is globally, community pharmacists and pharmacies are very vital and accessible amidst the heat of the pandemic by serving as direct contact for their patients as they remain on the frontline of public health. Community pharmacists are playing their roles in addressing public health crisis by contributing to the risk reduction through community engagements, emergency health services and crisis management (9). Various views have been circulating about the safety of the use of ACE inhibitors, ibuprofen, corticosteroids and angiotensin receptor blockers during the COVID-19 pandemic, which suggests an elevated risk of infection or elevated disease severity (10). The use of these medicines is widespread and any attempt to disrupt their usage has the potential of affecting both patients and the public, globally. As widely known, community pharmacists have their indispensable roles to play such as medication review, medical counseling etc. which will invariably affect treatment choices (10). For instance, in Nigeria, community pharmacists have engaged in enlightenment programmes aimed at debunking myths relating to use of chloroquine and other unapproved drugs for the cure of COVID-19. Also, in Kenya, community pharmacists are advocating for zero-tax implementation on drugs in order to allow for affordability in course of the pandemic (11). The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) has released publication which serves as a resource for strengthening and preparedness of the community pharmacy workforce as front-line health workers during this pandemic (12). The roles of pharmacists in debunking myths about the disease and providing mental health supports during this pandemic cannot be deemphasized, but still underutilized. Community pharmacists also continue to play their role in ensuring regular supply of medicines to the public without interruption and to support response efforts (13) by spreading information on COVID-19-related precautions, including proper hand and respiratory hygiene measures, as well as ensuring ease of access to face masks and guidelines for proper use and disposal and the need to maintain physical distance (14). Additionally, COVID-19 diagnostics testing is a challenge in many African countries (15). This also provides an area worth exploring by community pharmacies upon availability of accurate and rapid diagnostic tests. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected community pharmacy practice in Africa and their roles in effective containment should continue to be utilized. This further reinforces the need for increased protective measures, well planned lockdown policies that allows for easy drug supply and sustained unrestricted movement of community pharmacists in order to reduce the incidence of transmission; a necessary step towards containing the pandemic in Africa.

Dear Editor, The outbreak of Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was declared a ‘pandemic disease’ by the World Health Organization (WHO), and the application of tocilizumab in the down regulation of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a potential disease worsening factor, was hypothesized in a published article by Zhang and colleagues (1), and tocilizumab has introduced as a promising treatment option for COVID-19. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a leading cause of high mortality rate in patients with COVID-19 worldwide, and SARS-CoV-2-mediated release of high level of large number of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), which is mostly responsible for commencing a massive systemic inflammatory response, also known as ‘cytokine storm’ leading to acute respiratory failure, as mentioned in a article by Mehta and colleagues (2). In response to the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and host cell, IL-6 binds with soluble IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) on the cell membrane and activates the IL-6R-mediated signal transduction pathway that precedes the pro-inflammatory responses of IL-6. Tocilizumab, an approved drug for rheumatoid arthritis, is a monoclonal antibody that specifically binds with interleukin-6 receptor, and inhibits the pro-inflammatory roles of IL-6 by preventing the interaction between IL-6 and IL-6R (1, 2). The off-label use of tocilizumab (400 mg once, intravenously) in 21 patients with severe COVID-19 mentioned in a study by Xu and colleagues (3) in China revealed a significant improvement in severity of disease, and 90.5% of patients discharged to home, successfully. Though limited experience to till date, associated clinical outcomes with tocilizumab in COVID-19 encourage its use concomitantly to tackle this severe infection, efficiently. Tocilizumab is available in the name of ‘Actemra’ (trade name) by Roche Pharma (Switzerland) Ltd., worldwide, and this product was used for the inflammation management in patients with severe COVID-19 in the above mentioned study (3). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States approved tocilizumab as a potential drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, but it has been considered as a costly medicine as mentioned in a study (4), because of its high price. However, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), 50% - 90% of the population pays their treatment-cost from their own pocket (5). Many peoples of LMICs have been affected by SARS-CoV-2 (2, 3), and tocilizumab may be a drug of choice for many physicians to incorporate early in the treatment of severe COVID-19 in patients who financially may not be capable of bearing the cost of the treatment with tocilizumab (actemra), leading to an overburdened cost-of-treatment. Actemra (tocilizumab) is an innovator product; and the price of innovator products are 257%, 175%, 135%, 90%, 40% and 34% higher than the generic products in Malawi, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, respectively (5). Tocilizumab has no alternate generic in the world market, and use of actemra or other costly medications in patients with COVID-19 may ultimately cause huge financial-burden on community peoples living under/near the poverty-threshold in LMICs. More clinical evidences on the use of tocilizumab in the treatment of severe COVID-19 may be supportive for using this costly medicine in patients with COVID-19 in LMICs, considering the current global pandemic situation. At this serious pandemic condition, where no specific drug has yet been recommended by the WHO for the treatment of COVID-19 worldwide, alternative cost-effective medications with proven efficacy are highly encouraging to use in COVID-19 treatment in patients living under-poverty margin in LMICs. As of suggestion, financial supports from the respective governments, subsidized prices of the innovators products, and the development of hospital-based cost-effective therapeutic guidelines considering the country’s economic status may be effective at this pandemic situation to continue the treatment of COVID-19 until new officially approved drug comes-up in the global market.

Dear Editor, The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases keeps spreading across the globe. Consistent personal hygiene is said to be the easiest way to avoid the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly emphasized regular hand-washing as the simple way to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Frequent hand washing (hand hygiene) prevents life-threatening diseases as reported in numerous researches. Another study found that regular hand-washing with soap has positive impact on respiratory diseases, the practice cut infections by around 15 percent or even more. Previous study reveals that SARS-CoV-2 could be spread through fecal-oral route. A research conducted at University of Michigan found that use of surgical masks and alcohol-based hand sanitizers could cut the spread of flu-like symptoms (1). As COVID-19 continues to affect many people worldwide, a public health specialists recommends a daily shower and brushing teeth at least twice daily. Many studies reveals that personal hygiene is very essential in protection against diseases (2). COVID-19 spreads through droplets when an infected person cough or sneeze, and sometimes through contaminated surfaces (3). During this COVID-19 pandemic promoting hand washing behaviors are needed to prevent the spread of this disease. Surfaces should be clean with disinfectant regularly, avoid traveling with a fever or cough, and stay separately at home if you are sick. The chief of World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that since the viable vaccine isn’t available, people should take control of their own health and follow the guidance regarding the self-protection against the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Dear Editor, The ear is a very important sense organ whose main functions are hearing and balancing. It is very sensitive and plays a role in the detection, and transmission of sounds. Hepler and Strand (1) defined pharmaceutical care as: “a patient-centered, outcomes oriented pharmacy practice that requires the pharmacist to work in concert with the patient and the patient’s other healthcare providers to promote health, to prevent disease, and to assess, monitor, initiate, and modify medication use to assure that drug therapy regimens are safe and effective”. The goal of Pharmaceutical Care is to improve the quality of life of the patient, optimize medicines use, achieve definite outcome (1). It is imperative that we understand the role of pharmacists in the management and reduction of hearing loss through education/counselling and monitoring (2, 3). A partial or total inability of an individual to hear sounds in the same way as other people is known as hearing loss (4). Hearing loss is a growing issue and can be caused by diseases such as chickenpox, cytomegalovirus, mumps, meningitis, sickle cell disease, syphilis, hypothyroidism, arthritis, and some cancers (5). Other causes include; exposure to cigarette second-hand smoke (commonly found in teenagers), and streptomycin-a drug used in the treatment of tuberculosis. Listening to loud music via headphones is also linked to subtle hearing loss. Reports from some agencies such as the Action on Hearing Loss (AHL) cautioned that hearing loss, even if mild puts the elderly at an increased (double) risk of developing dementia, depression, and falls. In cases of severe deafness, there is five times increase in the risk of these conditions (dementia and depression) (2, 3, 5). People with hearing loss appear to be faced with numerous challenges, of which marginalization tops the ladder. This age-long marginalization has been presented in the form of negligence, lack of support, exclusion, and discrimination and is usually more intensified during childhood and early adulthood days. These individuals are disparaged and stigmatized even by their guardians and close family relations (6). From the phenomenon known as cross-modal neuroplasticity, we gained an explanation as to why the hearing impaired individuals have heightened senses (7). This is the brain’s way of using sensory-deprived areas to augment existing senses. Studies have shown that individuals with hearing loss have sharper smell due to this impairment (8, 9). The early symptoms of hearing loss are often difficult to spot by patients and even pharmacists because the onset of associated symptoms presentation is gradual. This has resulted in the inability to detect hearing loss at a very early stage till it becomes severe (10). In Nigeria, a country of more than 160 million people, there are more than 23.7% of people having hearing impairment. Up to about 84% of these people having hearing loss remain undereducated and economically underdeveloped. A study by the charity action on hearing loss (CAHL) projects that by the year 2035, the number of individuals that will come down with some forms of hearing impairment will be more than fifteen (15) million (7). With increase in age, hearing tends to decline. However, using headphones to listen to music at high volume is another major cause of hearing loss. As the healthcare professionals who often interact with patients more often than the prescribing physician, pharmacists can help to tackle the issue caused by hearing loss by early detection of hearing problems in patients, educating patients and the general public about the causes, symptoms, and what to do when they have hearing impairement. Also, the pharmacist can help by educating people about some misconceptions about the ear and hearing (7, 9). For instance, it is a common misconception that cell phones cause cancer of the nerves, brain, and neck from holding cellphone at one’s ear. There has however, been no evidence to support that claim till date. Cellphones emit a non-ionizing radiofrequency energy which does not cause DNA damage unlike ionizing electromagnetic radiation that have been linked to DNA damage and have gained use in radiotherapy (4). In a bid to providing care to patients, pharmacists (most especially those working in the community) can spot and manage undiagnosed hearing problems, “because they come in contact with a wide range of patients with different complaints”. The Pharmacist can discuss with the patient some tips that will help reduce their risk of developing hearing loss such as the dangers of sharp objects or cotton bud usage in the ear, and exposure to loud noise (11). Studies suggest that hearing problems can go unattended to for up to about 10 years from the period they first started consequently making treatment and better prognosis to be missed out. But pharmacists can help early detection simply by observing the behaviour of their patients (4, 10). It can be as simple as observing if the patients keep looking at your mouth when you are counselling them in order to follow the conversation, or asking them to repeat what you tell them serval times. Many people with hearing problems are lip reading without even realizing it. If the pharmacist, while interacting with the patient observes that the person has hearing problem, they should be referred to a general practitioner who will assess the level of damage done to the ears or refer them to go see their doctor (4, 10). General practitioners may refer patients to either a specialist hospital (an Ear, Nose, and Throat hospital) or to a specialist who will assess the patient for a hearing aid-an audiologist. As the saying goes; prevention is better than cure, the pharmacist will counsel all patients about the tendency of certain drugs to cause hearing loss. These drugs include but not limited to the following: analgesics (naproxen, ibuprofen), aminoglycosides (streptomycin), antineoplastic agents (cisplastin, carboplastin, or bleomycin), certain antidepressants (amitriptyline and clomipramine), loop diuretics, and quinine. The pharmacist should emphasize on the importance of keeping a record of how beginning a new medication changes the patient’s hearing. If a drug is known to cause ototoxicity, a baseline hearing test should be conducted before, during, and after completion of the dosage regimen. This will help in early detection of hearing impairment during the course of therapy (12). Although there have been numerous articles on pharmaceutical care services already published, only a few of them spoke about sensory loss. This letter will serve as a background to further researches that will explore more roles of pharmacists in preventing hearing loss or taking care of their drug-related needs in order to improve the quality of life of the individual with hearing loss. Through pharmaceutical care services, hearing loss can be corrected and prevented.